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Italy warns against travel abroad as coronavirus numbers rise around Europe

The Italian Foreign Ministry on Monday warned against unnecessary travel abroad, and said it could not rule out new travel restrictions due to the worsening Covid-19 infection rates around Europe.

Published: 26 October 2020 16:36 CET

Italy warns against travel abroad as coronavirus numbers rise around Europe

Travellers at Rome's Fiumicino airport. File photo: AFP

“Given the worsening of the epidemiological situation in Europe, the Foreign Ministry recommends all compatriots avoid travel abroad unless for strictly necessary reasons,” an update on the ministry's website stated on Monday.

MAP: Where are coronavirus rules strictest across Italy?

The ministry also warned that travel to Italy could be complicated by new travel restrictions – as previously happened when the country began to restrict entry from many countries during the initial emergency phase.

“It should also be noted that given the high number of infections in many European countries, future further restrictions on travel cannot be ruled out, which would risk complicating re-entry to Italy,” the ministry warned.

“Similar repatriation problems could arise, with a much more serious impact, in the case of travel to non-EU destinations.”

While Italy currently allows travel from European and Schengen zone countries, travel from many countries outside Europe remains heavily restricted.

READ ALSO: What are the rules on travelling to Italy right now?

Arrivals to Italy from some countries including the UK are subject to mandatory coronavirus testing.

The rules on travel from within Europe could change, depending on the number of infections seen in each country.

While the situation in Italy has worsened dramatically in recent weeks, the infection rate is currently even higher in some neighbouring countries including France and Spain.

The average 14-day Covid-19 case notification rate per 100,000 inhabitants in each European country. Chart: ECDC

For more details on the rules when travelling to or from another country, the Foreign Ministry recommends that travellers check the relevant country information on the government's Viaggiare Sicuri (Safe Travel) website.

Find all The Local's coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy here.

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Why are flight prices higher in Italy than the rest of Europe this summer?

Italy may be at the start of a summer tourism boom, but that’s no thanks to the cost of its airline tickets, which are higher than ever this year.

According to a recent analysis in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, intra-Europe fares from June to September 2024 are down three percent on average compared to the same period last year – but Italy’s flight costs have risen.

The average price of a summer flight between Italy and the rest of Europe has increased by seven percent since 2023, data shows, while domestic flights cost as much as 21 percent more.

Corriere doesn’t offer much of an explanation for the hikes, though says industry sources say it could be down to demand being higher than anticipated.

READ ALSO: How Europe’s new EES border checks will impact flight passengers

It’s true that supply chain issues have reduced the available fleet of global aircraft at a time when the appetite for international travel is as high as ever – but this is an industry-wide problem that shouldn’t disproportionately affect Italy.

Carmelo Calì, the vice president of consumer rights watchdog Confconsumatori, suggested in a recent interview that the main culprit is a lack of healthy competition in the Italian market.

“Despite what is said to the contrary, in our country companies often find themselves operating at airports practically alone,” Calì told consumer publication Il Salvagente (The Lifejacket).

“Even when there is competition, prices remain high, because the race is upwards and not downwards.”

The high price of Italy’s domestic flights have been a point of contention for years, with consumer unions long complaining that fares for tickets between mainland Italy and the major islands are exorbitant.

Italy’s Price Surveillance Guarantor Benedetto Mineo, who officially goes by Mister Prezzi (‘Mr. Prices’), last summer called on the seven main airlines operating in Italy to account for a 40 percent annual increase in the cost of some key domestic routes.

READ ALSO: Why two Swiss to Italy flight routes are ‘the most turbulent’ in Europe

This was followed by the government announcing a price cap on flights connecting Sardinia and Sicily to the Italian mainland – that it promptly shelved just one month later, after budget carrier Ryanair led a furious pushback by low cost airlines.

“Here companies believe they have freedom that they don’t have elsewhere, convinced they can get away with it, while in the rest of Europe they fear being punished,” said Calì.

That may explain why the EU’s competition watchdog has been so slow to approve a proposed partial takeover of Italy’s national flag carrier ITA by Germany airline Lufthansa.

The Commission has repeatedly insisted that Lufthansa must give away a certain number of its slots at Milan’s Linate airport in compliance with EU competition rules in order for the deal to go ahead.

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